- Kennedy family members ask federal judge to halt Trump’s planned Arlington memorial arch
Source: Fox 5 DC
“Nine members of the Kennedy family asked a federal judge Tuesday to halt President Donald Trump’s planned memorial arch, saying the 250-foot monument would cast a shadow over relatives’ burial plots at Arlington National Cemetery. The monument’s shadow would ‘fundamentally alter the experience of visiting the gravesites,’ according to court filings submitted by the relatives. They moved to intervene in a pair of pending lawsuits aimed at stopping the arch’s construction. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order last week barring the Trump administration from beginning site work for 14 days. The nine plaintiffs represent descendants of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, both former U.S. senators and brothers of assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Their plots are near the eternal flame marking JFK’s resting place.” (11/11/26)
- MS: Voters await cliffhanger Senate result with hope and frustration
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Mississippi’s nailbiting wait to find out who won the southern state’s US Senate race is nearly over, a week after the midterm elections – and the contest could deliver the state its first Democratic senator in nearly four decades. Scott Colom, the Democrat, holds a lead of about 2,500 ballots (less than 1%) over his Republican opponent, the incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, according to the latest tally. If he wins, Colom would become the Magnolia State’s first black senator in over 140 years. He would also pad the Democratic Senate majority-elect to 55 seats, with a knife-edge race in Alaska still to be called. The Democrat’s razor-thin advantage has defied political gravity in a conservative fortress that President Donald Trump won in 2024 by over 22 points.” (11/11/26)
- Kenya discharges last Ebola patient, beginning countdown to Ebola-free declaration
Source: ABC News
“Kenya on Wednesday discharged its last Ebola patient, officially beginning the 42-day countdown toward being declared Ebola-free, even as the number of cases recorded in the wider region topped 11,000 since the outbreak began in May. The country recorded nine Ebola cases in October after the first patient traveled from Congo through Uganda, transmitting the virus to four family members and four healthcare workers. The first patient and his mother died of Ebola, while the other seven patients have fully recovered. The government had identified 135 contacts who had interacted with the first patient. Kenya now begins the 42-day countdown to being declared Ebola-free, provided no new infections are recorded during that period.” (11/11/26)
- Russia: Moscow’s ambassador to the US dies at age 66
Source: SFGate
“Alexander Darchiev, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, died Wednesday at age 66, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in an online statement. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a separate statement that Darchiev died in Moscow from an unspecified chronic illness. The statement described Darchiev as ‘an outstanding diplomat, experienced leader, good comrade and mentor’, as well as a brilliant scholar of U.S. affairs, working ‘in one of the most important areas of Russian foreign policy.’ The longtime diplomat served as the ambassador to the U.S. since early 2025, according to his profile page on the website of the Russian Embassy in Washington. He succeeded Anatoly Antonov, who was relieved of his duties in late 2024. Before that, Darchiev headed the Foreign Ministry’s North America and North Atlantic departments. He also served as ambassador to Canada and was a minister-counselor at the Washington embassy.” (11/11/26)
- US DOJ sues Lyft over service animals, mobility devices
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Lyft, saying the company discriminated against passengers with service animals and those who use some mobility devices. The lawsuit, filed Monday, seeks $53 million for people with disabilities against whom Lyft allegedly discriminated and who have filed complaints to Lyft or the Justice Department. … The department filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges the company violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits private transportation companies from discriminating based on disability.” (11/10/26)
- SC: Missing 11-month-old baby found buried alive in a crate
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Michael Comer was arrested on Monday evening, but his son Sharpe was not with him. Comer was seen travelling to multiple locations without the baby and was later arrested in Lexington County. A search party of 100 police and fire department officials were then sent to search for the child, the sheriff said. He added that when they asked Comer where his son was, he ‘did not have much to say’ about his whereabouts. Koon said that rescuers searched the woods near Comer’s father’s house and saw some ‘freshly disturbed dirt’. As they began to dig, they heard a baby crying …. He said the crate was wrapped in a towel that probably provided enough air for Sharpe to survive for as long as he did, while the cold weather kept him from getting too hot.” (11/11/26)
- France: Far-right author Zemmour launches second bid for presidency
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“French far-right [authort] Eric Zemmour, known for his anti-Islam and anti-immigrant stance, has he will be standing in next year’s presidential election. Zemmour, a 68-year-old Jewish author and veteran television commentator, finished fourth in the 2022 presidential election. This time, he says he wants to expel foreign offenders who are in prison, as well as ‘foreign unemployed people who have been out of work for more than six months’, even if they are legal residents. He says he wants ‘two million fewer immigrants’ in France. … [Marine] Le Pen, who is the leader of the far-right National Rally party, is widely projected to win the election to replace Emmanuel Macron, who will end his term as president of France. Meanwhile, far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon of the France Unbowed party, who has been accused of encouraging the unrest, unveiled his programme on Saturday to some 17,000 supporters.” (11/10/26)
- Pelosi skips Hegseth impeachment vote to get lifetime achievement award
Source: SFGate
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is breathing a sigh of relief Tuesday evening after the House of Representatives effectively shelved eight articles of impeachment against him over the war in Iran. Tuesday’s vote saved him from a damaging rebuke of the unpopular war, and he has some Democrats, including San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi, to thank for it. Hegseth faced eight articles of impeachment …. Republicans called a vote Tuesday to refer the articles to the Judiciary Committee, effectively killing the impeachment for the year, according to the New York Times. The vote passed 211-204 almost entirely on party lines, with a sole Republican, Kentucky’s Rep. Thomas Massie, who introduced the impeachment articles, voting no alongside Democrats. But 11 Democrats missed Tuesday’s vote, meaning Hegseth could still have been facing impeachment if those Democrats had showed up and voted no.” (11/10/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/pelosi-hegseth-impeachment-vote-22524306.php
- Jordan wins House GOP minority leader race
Source: Axios
“House Republicans elected Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as their new leader Tuesday, handing the reins of the battered GOP conference to one of its most prominent conservative [sic] firebrands. Jordan’s victory marks a major shake-up in House Republican leadership, elevating a founding member of the hardline Freedom Caucus who campaigned as an alternative to the leaders who presided over the GOP’s crushing midterm defeat. … Jordan’s victory signals an appetite among House Republicans for a more confrontational approach as they prepare to enter the minority.” (11/10/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/11/10/jim-jordan-house-republicans-leadership-elections-scalise
- Annual Fundraiser Update: Holiday, But We’re Here Anyway
Hey, everyone …
It’s “Veterans Day” in the US and variations thereof (some more appropriate, such as “Armistice” or “Remembrance” Day) in many other countries — but we’ve still got a full edition for you today. You’re welcome!
I kind of thought my 60th birthday appeal yesterday might bring a few bucks in for our annual fundraiser, but nope. It was a “zero dollar day.” Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll eat some worms.* Our total remains, as of 5am, at $1,287. So:
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
Our goal is $5,503. Once we’ve raised the first half, supporter GL has pledged to “match funds” for the second half — and hitting the goal means I get to stop bellyaching about money for the rest of 2026 and most of 2027.
Have a great day … after you click on that link, of course.
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily* The zero-dollar day notwithstanding, I had a happy but semi-relaxed (no day off work!) birthday including a short motorcycle ride and tacos for lunch. In my family, we do a meal out together on the weekend to celebrate a birthday, so I’m looking forward to Chinese buffet food on Saturday.
- Dog bites man: House Republicans publicly defile themselves to protect Hegseth
Source: The Hill
“House Republicans on Tuesday shelved a measure spearheaded by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would have led to a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In a dramatic and tight 211-204 vote, the House voted to refer the resolution to committee, a move that essentially ends efforts to impeach Hegseth over the Iran war and other issues until the next Congress, when Democrats will hold large majorities in the House and Senate. … Massie [accurately] accused Hegseth of violating the Constitution and other laws during U.S. military operations in Yemen, Iran, the Caribbean, the Eastern Pacific and with the military operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his country at the beginning of the year. … ‘We’re not indicting him for being bad at his job. In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran; he was very effective at extrajudicial killings,’ Massie said during a Monday press conference.” (11/10/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6212136-house-shelves-hegseth-impeachment
- Ukrainian strikes hit Russian oil port as Abu Dhabi talks enter day two
Source: Yahoo! News
“Ukraine has attacked several targets in Russia ahead of Wednesday’s second day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Moscow and Kiev, mediated by the United States. The governor of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, said on Telegram that 150 Ukrainian drones had been repelled overnight. The target was the Baltic Sea area where the Russian oil and gas port of Ust-Luga is located, he said. Three workers were injured and a fire broke out, he added. … The attacks once again affected operations at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, the state-run Russian news agency TASS reported. More than 40 flights were delayed.” (11/11/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/ukraine-hits-russian-oil-port-090326865.html
- US inflation rises more than expected for third straight month
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
“U.S. consumer prices increased more than expected in October amid higher costs for food and accommodation, cementing expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month. The Consumer Price Index report from the Labor Department today also showed a strong buildup of underlying inflation pressures for a third straight month. It followed data last week showing the labor market regained momentum in October. … The CPI increased 0.4% last month after advancing 0.6% in September, the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said. It was the third consecutive month of gains of 0.4% or more. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI would climb 0.3% over the month.” (11/10/26)
- UK: US Army Member Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Source: New York Times
“Britain’s counterterrorism police said on Tuesday that they had arrested a member of the U.S. Army on suspicion of spying on behalf of Russia after a joint investigation with the F.B.I. and U.S. military intelligence. The 41-year-old man was arrested near Gloucester, England, about 100 miles west of London, and was in custody pending possible charges, officials said. Officials did not name the man but said in a statement that he had been detained on suspicion of violating Section 1 and Section 3 of Britain’s National Security Act 2023. Those sections relate to obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. … In the statement on Tuesday, the police said the arrest of the U.S. Army member on suspicion of espionage was ‘not linked to any other ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigations.'” (11/10/26)
- US regime charges three with plotting terror attacks
Source: Terre Haute Tribune-Star
“Three men, including one already jailed in the United States, were accused by U.S. authorities Tuesday of being Iran-supported operatives who plotted nearly 20 attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S. as well as a planned assault on a British airbase used by the U.S. Air Force. Charges against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, were outlined in a superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Only al-Saadi is in custody.” (11/10/26)
- Saudi Arabia: Regime Sentences Mother to 100 Lashes for Birth Outside Marriage
Source: New York Times
“A Saudi court has sentenced a domestic worker from Kenya to 100 lashes for giving birth outside marriage. The ruling, issued last month, shows the limits of a decade of social and legal reforms in a kingdom where women can be jailed and punished for ‘illegal pregnancy.’ The sentence is a harsh turn in what has been a terrifying ordeal for a mother who has tried for more than a year to return to Kenya with her child but has been blocked at every turn. The mother, Esther Wanja Muthoni, is one of thousands of East African domestic workers who were recruited to work as housekeepers and nannies in Saudi Arabia. … Ms. Muthoni was working legally as a domestic worker through Maharah Human Resources, a Saudi corporation, when she became pregnant during a brief relationship with an Egyptian resident of the kingdom.” (11/10/26)
- Reports: US regime withdraws military aircraft from second UK airbase after Iran threat
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The United States has withdrawn military aircraft from a second British airbase following a threat from Iran, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing people familiar with events. A number of American refuelling tankers were evacuated on Monday from Mildenhall Royal Air Force (RAF) base in eastern England after the purported threat, the newspaper said. Sky News said on Tuesday that 12 aircraft – nine tankers and three Osprey transporters – left Mildenhall on Monday, citing flight tracking sources. The WSJ noted ‘the precise nature’ of the Iranian threat remained ‘under discussion’ among US officials.” (11/10/26)
- AK: Peltola inches further ahead of Sullivan in Senate race
Source: Seattle Times
“Democrat Mary Peltola inched further ahead of Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan in the Senate race on Monday after another small batch of preliminary election results was released by the Alaska Division of Elections. … With the new numbers, Peltola, a former U.S. representative, has grown her lead over Sullivan, a two-term Republican incumbent, to 2,517 first-choice votes, reflecting about 1.1% of the vote. Peltola previously held a lead of just 637 votes, or 0.3%. … Under ranked choice tabulation in races with more than two candidates, if no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, then the candidate who received the fewest votes is eliminated. Their supporters’ votes are then redistributed to those voters’ second choices. The process continues until one of the candidates has received more than 50% of the vote.” (11/10/26)
- Board of Peace: Israel’s aid response after Gaza floods “insufficent”
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has called on Israel to immediately allow all necessary humanitarian supplies into Gaza after rain flooded tens of thousands of tents. The US-backed body, established to oversee the implementation of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, acknowledged the steps now being considered by Israel, but said ‘the response remains insufficient’. Israel’s military agency in charge of coordinating aid into Gaza said it had allowed in tens of thousands of tents and trucks with winter supplies, but added reconstruction ‘can only begin after Hamas fully disarms’. On Sunday, three children and a woman were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents in the central Strip. Most people in Gaza have been displaced because of Israel’s military actions. Around 65% of the population, about 1.4 million people, now live in tents or makeshift shelters, the UN says.” (11/10/26)
- UK: Regime launches investigation into potential Autumn Budget leak
Source: Independent [UK]
“Britain’s Government Security Group (GSG) has launched an investigation into a potential leak of Budget measures, which may have moved financial markets. It comes after a Bloomberg article published before the Autumn Budget on October 28 contained accurate details of planned changes to bank taxes. … The Treasury Committee said in a statement on Tuesday that a probe in the Cabinet Office is underway, despite assurance that no banks, their representatives or their trade bodies were briefed by the Treasury on the details of the Budget.” (11/10/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-budget-2026-leak-investigation-b3082531.html
- Romney and DeSantis: A Study in Contrasts
Source: The Next Move
by Jay Nordlinger“We all have different ideas of staunchness and squishiness. [Mitt] Romney strikes me as admirably staunch—on the rule of law, a free economy, the national interest … He can be counted on to defend basic American values, as many of us conceive them. DeSantis? He’s apt to blow with the Republican wind. I would not call him a ‘total squish,’ as he called Romney. But I would not cite him as an example of spine.” (11/11/26)
https://www.thenextmove.org/p/romney-and-desantis-a-study-in-contrasts
- House Kills Massie’s Hegseth Impeachment With Procedural Vote—No Up-or-Down Vote on the Articles
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“Yesterday’s parliamentary maneuver is yet another example of how Congress manipulates public perception through these obscure rules. Politicians use procedural votes to avoid taking a public stance on executive overreach. A direct vote forces accountability. A referral motion allows representatives to defeat a measure while claiming they want committee review. So Republicans are crowing that Massie defamed Hegseth, showing how his effort was defeated, but there was never an up-and-down vote on Massie’s articles. They use these tactics to fundraise and create media sound bites without doing the difficult work of governance. We need more up-and-down votes to show accountability of our members of Congress, rather than have them meekly shy away from answering the question.” (11/11/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/house-kills-massies-hegseth-impeachment
- How Inflation Fed the Slaughter of World War I
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jeffery L Degner“Today, Americans observe Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day, to honor those who have served in uniform. But World War I offers another lesson: how governments used borrowing and money printing to finance war, obscure its costs, and prolong the bloodshed.” (11/11/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/how-inflation-fed-the-slaughter-of-world-war-i/
- On January 3, Democrats run into reality
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will“Congress has a caucus for every cause — bicycles, snowboarding, baking, composting, aquaculture, soccer, rock-and-roll, and on and on. There are more caucuses, formal and informal, than members of Congress. Come January, many Democrats will compose what should be called the Cognitive Dissonance Caucus. In November, Democrats did well with voters, but beginning on Jan. 3, reality gets a vote. Consider four subjects: climate change, campaign finance, Medicare-for-all and racial gerrymandering.” (11/11/26)
- “Woke 1”: Not “Crazy,” but Needed
Source: In These Times
by Calvin John Smiley“In August, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stated, ’Woke 1 was crazy!’ on ABC’s ’This Week’ news show. She borrowed the phrase from her New York colleague City Councilman Chi Ossé, who had used it in a May post on X (formerly Twitter). Soon after, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said this about AOC’s statement: ’What you believe can change, it can develop, it can grow. … I’ve made very clear that I do not believe in defunding the police, that I will not be defunding the police’. Woke 1 was not ‘crazy’. It was an important moment in a longer legacy of struggle. Woke 1 (which, according to the Internets, refers to cultural and social activism in and around 2020) was not crazy. These statements by progressive elected officials sparked criticism. Some labeled AOC an opportunist. Others gave Mamdani a bit more grace, arguing he was being strategically cautious.” (11/10/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/woke-one-aoc-progressives-defund-the-police-blue-wave
- The Great False Binary
Source: Law & Liberty
by David D Corey“Students often come to my office for advice about political extremism. Their internet feeds are awash with political binaries: ‘You’re either for us or against us,’ everyone is saying. There is no middle ground, and refusal to join appears tantamount to helping the enemy. Conservative students especially feel this pressure. ‘Is moderation synonymous with cowardice?’ they ask me. ‘Does refusing to join the fight really undermine America?’ It occurs to me that few of these young people have ever heard a forceful critique of binary thinking. When I tell them that this kind of thinking is a sign of political naiveté and immaturity, they stare at me blankly, as if they have no idea what I’m saying. But in fact binary thinking in politics is demonstrably foolish. The reasons are theological, epistemological, and anthropological.” (11/11/26)
- Stephen Miller Is a Problem
Source: The Bulwark
by Joe Perticone“Donald Trump’s decision last week to name Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff gives the impression that instead of learning from and correcting the policy mistakes of the past two years, the president intends to double down on them. Miller has been unapologetically racist, and his prejudices and hatreds have fueled much of the Trump administration’s nativist agenda, especially in the area of immigration enforcement. He will now hold even more power over the administration’s policy direction. Naturally I wanted to ask Republican senators, newly returned to Capitol Hill on their first day back in session, for their thoughts on Miller’s promotion.” (11/11/26)
- The Swiss Cheese Solution: How Trump May Walk Away From Iran
Source: Antiwar.com
by Trita Parsi“Donald Trump was presented with several war options last Friday but rejected them all, at least for the moment. Neither did he accept the negotiated package on the table. Instead, he opted to continue his economic warfare against Iran. Given the expectation that Trump would restart the war after the midterms, optimism has grown that Trump may finally have abandoned the fantasy of a military victory. I suspect that optimism is premature. Instead, I see possible scenarios: War, peace, and a Swiss cheese status quo.” (11/11/26)
- To Preserve Collegiate Competition, Constrain It
Source: Law & Liberty
by Asheesh Agarwal“We should view antitrust regulations with general skepticism, but college sports may be an exception.” (11/11/26)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/to-preserve-collegiate-competition-constrain-it/
- The Hegseth Impeachment is Far From Over
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Ilya Somin“Today, House Republicans managed to block the impeachment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, by voting 211-204 to send it to a committee for further “study.” But this fight is likely to be far from over. The Republicans may be able to effectively bottle up the impeachment in committee for the rest of the current Congress (which ends on January 3, 2027). But it will almost certainly come back in the new Democratic-controlled Congress. … And, though it’s a steep hill to climb, it is by no means impossible he might actually get convicted, as he is very unpopular on Capitol Hill (and elsewhere), and the evidence against him is strong. It is notable that House Republicans chose to use this procedural maneuver rather than just vote down the impeachment directly. It suggests they might not have had the votes to do the latter.” (11/10/26)
https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/10/the-hegseth-impeachment-is-far-from-over/
- The Personality Cult Closes Ranks
Source: Liberal Currents
by Adam Gurri“[Stephen] Miller is the epitome of everything that is petty, cruel, illiberal, and anti-democratic in the Trump administration. To elevate him to chief of staff after the enormous rejection of the administration by voters last week says everything we need to know about how it will comport itself for the next two years. Members of the personality cult wasted no time rallying behind Miller. … Absolute loyalty, unwavering commitment, total devotion. The personality cult will survive the midterms defeat, and Miller will use every tool available to him to ensure it does so.” (11/11/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-personality-cult-closes-ranks/
- What’s in a Word? Why Deportations Must and Will Continue
Source: American Greatness
by Raw Egg Nationalist“Some words have a force all of their own, a power that precedes them and makes even uttering them a risk; these words elicit great anticipation and the most powerful emotions—anxiety, fear, anger, and jubilation. Their use is often hedged around with elaborate rituals and taboos. A well-known example: The ancestors of modern Europeans refused to call bears by their actual name. Instead, they invented a series of gentle circumlocutions like ‘the brown one’ and ‘the honey eater’. … Today, ‘amnesty’ is such a word, at least on the American right. Its specter is so great, so terrifying, that the mere suggestion of its utterance is enough to send right-wingers into paroxysms of rage, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth.” [editor’s note: The column, and its author, seem as pure a distillation of evil as I’ve seen lately – TLK] (11/11/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/11/11/whats-in-a-word-why-deportations-must-and-will-continue/
- A model for caring action against rising seas
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“The latest round of global climate talks started this week with a new type of mental focus. Rather than simply seeking more agreements among the 190-plus countries, the 12-day conference in Turkey stresses action, especially on a worrisome climate-related hazard – rising sea levels hitting low-level land. Attendees can easily find an example of practical action on that front, one anchored in a concept of caring for those most vulnerable. Australia is now in its second year of providing visas to hundreds of residents of Tuvalu who want to be prepared to flee their South Pacific country someday. With an average elevation of 6.5 feet, Tuvalu’s residents are already experiencing damage to underground water supplies from a sea-level rise of about 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) in recent decades. No one knows for sure how many people worldwide will be forced to flee submergence due to rising seas. Estimates range from 2 million to 20 million by 2100.” (11/10/26)
- JD Vance has no idea what 2028 voters actually want
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jonah Goldberg“I regret to inform you that we are now one week into the 2028 presidential election cycle. This is the stage where various factions try to shape the conventional wisdom to support their particular agenda. For Democrats, that’s a difficult process, because they so wildly overperformed in the midterms that every faction has a favorable story to tell. For Republicans, it’s tougher and uglier. Enter Vice President JD Vance. In a lengthy social media post the day after the election, Vance offered an explanation for the carnage that was gobsmacking in its intellectual dishonesty, brazenness and rhetorical restraint. The tone was corporate PowerPoint presentation, the content was balderdash, but the intent was deeply cynical.” (11/10/26)
- Hegseth Should Go. But Probably Not This Way.
Source: The Dispatch
by Mike Nelson“Setting all Hegseth’s prior failures and inadequacy for the job aside, Trump should fire him now for the failures of the war in Iran. To boil it down to very simple and plain terms, one of three things is true: 1) Hegseth did not appreciate the risks and limitations of the operations against Iran, demonstrating a lack of depth and understanding necessary for the job; 2) Hegseth did properly understand these risks and limitations, but lied or misrepresented them to the president during deliberations leading up to the war, demonstrating a lack of integrity necessary for the job; or 3) Hegseth properly relayed the risks to the president, who blew them off. All three are tragic indictments of the decisions that led to the war, and each demands accountability.’ (11/11/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/hegseth-impeachment-massie-iran-venezuela-yemen/
- Voters Repudiated MAGA—and Showed a Path to Realignment
Source: The UnPopulist
by Larry Diamond“The massive electoral rebuke of President Trump is good news for democracy. But checking the president and exposing his massive corruption, along with that of his family, friends, appointees, and foreign accomplices, will only address one dimension of voter expectations. Americans made clear in this election: they want affordable homes, food, fuel, education, health care, and childcare. They want more and better job prospects, and some assurance that those will not disappear in an AI job apocalypse. They want a fairer economy, a fairer society that treats all people—including minorities and immigrants—with dignity, and a better, more secure democracy.” (11/10/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/voters-repudiated-magaand-showed
- Supreme Court’s Viramontes Is Not Moot
Source: Independent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook“Supreme Court poised to decide a fundamental issue at the heart of the Second Amendment.” (11/10/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/11/10/supreme-courts-viramontes/
- The Democrat Leadership Fights Are Missing Something
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“With the future Democratic majority in Congress secured, a lot of activist energy has turned to who the leaders will be in the House and Senate. Reportedly, congressional offices are getting hundreds of calls a day rejecting Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker and Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader. It is next to impossible to influence an insider contest, particularly in the Senate where the leadership vote will never be public. The ferocity of the attempt signals the Democratic base’s discontent with the party. But the focus on individual leaders, carrying with it the assumption that leaders unilaterally determine the direction of the party, is in large part the real problem. Let’s separate the two leadership fights, because they are very different.” (11/11/26)
- Betraying America’s Military and the Constitution They Swore to Defend
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead“Donald Trump and his administration have done a grave disservice to America’s military. By politicizing the military, sending service members into wars of questionable legality, attempting to use military forces against American citizens, and seeking to punish veterans who exercise their constitutional rights, the Trump administration has attempted to turn the U.S. military into its own guns-for-hire battalion. This is not how you honor America’s military. Pete Hegseth has done an even graver disservice to the men and women who serve. Having called for a ‘warrior ethos’ that celebrates aggression, lethality and an unquestioning commitment to warfighting, the self-styled Secretary of War has repeatedly demonstrated a troubling disregard for the constitutional safeguards meant to govern the military’s use of force. Consider his record.” (11/10/26)
- Will Republicans Learn Their Lesson From the “Disastrous” Midterms?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ron Paul“Politicians break campaign promises with hardly any hesitation and usually they get away with it. Americans have come to put up with broken promises for so long, they hardly even seem to notice. Last week, however, voters noticed. They showed the Republican party just how angry they were over President Trump’s decision to attack Iran and how angry they were with Congress for abandoning its Constitutional authority over matters of war and peace. … Has the Republican party gotten the message? Have they learned the lesson voters can deliver when they finally have had enough of being lied to?” (11/10/26)
- The Paradox of Digital Security: When Surveillance Creates the Insecurity It Claims to Solve
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Luc Lelièvre“Digital surveillance promises to make institutions more secure by enabling them to see more. Automated license-plate readers, facial recognition systems, and interconnected databases allow authorities to identify patterns and retrieve information at speeds once considered impossible. Yet greater capacity to detect and classify does not necessarily improve the ability to determine what happened. An institution may acquire more information without gaining the ability to interpret it accurately. The distinction matters because surveillance does more than collect information. Its outputs can initiate investigations, influence decisions, and authorize interventions that affect people who have little control over how the information is interpreted. The central problem is not merely that surveillance systems sometimes make mistakes. Rather, an institution can transform an uncertain indication into an apparently established fact through the very procedures the indication sets in motion.” (11/10/26)
- They Want To Use AI To Re-Centralize Control Of Information
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I keep thinking about a talk I listened to by Julian Assange back in 2017 where he warned that one day AI could be used to facilitate the propaganda interests of the powerful by manipulating news media and information in ways that are too subtle for the human mind to notice. Assange described a future where AI-powered algorithms serve us a customized feed of information based on data collected about our search queries and interests, calculated to appeal to our biases and construct a worldview for us which advances the agendas of those who control the machines. He explained that sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence systems could arrange this information with more subtlety and complexity than human perception can pick up on, in much the same way a computer can outperform any human brain at a game of chess.” (11/10/26)
- Time and Time Again: Stop The Nonsense!
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“Various polls show the public broadly in support of ending the ‘spring forward / fall back’ nonsense, but not necessarily in agreement on whether the standard should be ‘Standard Time’ or ‘Daylight Saving Time.’ I’ve seen good arguments from both sides. My own position is: Pick one and make it happen. For whatever reason, such measures always seem to bog down in Congress. Unable to decide which direction to go in, they always end up punting and putting us through another year of those annoying clock changes. There’s a third way for Congress to go about exercising its Article 1, Section 8 power to ‘fix the standard of weights and measures’ that’s simple and sensible.” (11/10/26)
- Immigration Was Another Reason for the Republican Massacre
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“In the aftermath of the midterm elections, while virtually all of the focus is on the Iran war and soaring prices, we mustn’t forget that immigration was another major reason for the political massacre of Republican candidates at the hands of the Democrats. Specifically, after overwhelmingly going for Trump just two years ago in the 2024 presidential election, Hispanics switched course in the midterms and returned to the Democrats. … as I have been emphasizing for 36 years here at The Future of Freedom Foundation, there is one — and only one — solution to the decades-old, ongoing, never-ending immigration morass. That solution is open borders — the abolition of ICE, the Border Patrol, and all restrictions on the free movements of people across the U.S.-Mexico border and, more generally, into and out of the United States.” (11/10/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/11/10/immigration-was-another-reason-for-the-republican-massacre/
- Mullin’ Over the Separation of Powers, Justice Jackson Again Stands Alone
Source: Jonathan Turley Blog
by Jonathan Turley“In Mullin v. Friends of Ruidosa Church, the Supreme Court just lifted the injunction on the Administration’s effort to go forward with the completion of a border wall through the Big Bend region of West Texas. The issue should not be the policy merits. There are good-faith arguments against the wall in such areas. Indeed, outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) wrote an op-ed against the project. However, the sole question before the Court was the authority of a president to order the construction and use of statutory waivers to do so. Eight out of nine justices voted that ‘the Government is exceedingly likely to prevail on its argument that the District Court lacked jurisdiction.’ Once again, the sole holdout was Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who did not explain her position.” (11/10/26)
- You Bought a Movie. Do You Own It?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Breanna McBride“Imagine buying George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm on your Kindle, only for Amazon to reach into your device and remove the two classic novels. It sounds unsettling, but it happened in 2009 when a third-party seller lost the rights to distribute the books. Customers got their money back, and Amazon acknowledged that it had handled the situation poorly. But the incident raised a troubling question: what does it actually mean to own something in the digital marketplace?” (11/10/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/you-bought-a-movie-do-you-own-it/
- A Bad Day at SCOTUS for Government Accountability
Source: Reason
by Damon Root“Thanks to a series of recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, it has become exceptionally difficult to sue a federal officer in federal court over an alleged constitutional rights violation. Yesterday, the justices heard oral arguments in a case that could further insulate federal officials from facing any civil liability for their misdeeds.” (11/10/26)
https://reason.com/2026/11/10/a-bad-day-at-scotus-for-government-accountability/
- Globally, voters seek consensus, coalition building
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“In the space of just two weeks, at least six nations around the globe have held consequential national or local elections. Voters in only two countries returned decisive leadership preferences. On Oct. 25, Brazilians elected their incumbent president to an unprecedented fourth term, and Serbia’s student-led movement won enough Assembly seats to end 12 years of rule by an autocrat. Elsewhere, voting tallies transmitted less clear-cut and more complex messages. None of the traditional parties or blocs won sufficient votes to form a national government in New Zealand or Israel, or to administer most major municipalities in South Africa. In the United States, Democrats gained congressional and state seats. But their majorities in Washington are not sufficient to withstand obstruction or vetoes from a Republican-led presidency. On one level, these results might seem like a recipe for legislative inertia and policy stagnation.” (11/09/26)
- Do Not Wish Democrats Dead
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter“I know the difficulty some people will have with that title. Not the words, but the doing it. Watching these leftists promise to ‘investigate’, toss in prison or simply execute anyone in the Trump administration or Elon Musk is a lot like being in Germany in the early 1930s: you hear the words but simply can’t believe they mean the words. You assume they’re just being hyperbolic; saying things for effect. They are not, they mean it. Many of these new Members of Congress, and a huge number of the people who put them there, would happily take you out. They say it, they scream it, but if you repeat it back to them, you will be cancelled. ” (11/10/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/11/10/do-not-wish-democrats-dead-n2686176
- Measure the crime, Alaska: Seizing a plane over a six-pack defies logic
Source: The Hill
by Brian Daniel Mounce“On the runway in Fairbanks, Ken Jouppi was loading his Cessna for a short hop to Beaver, Alaska, a village of a few dozen folks on the banks of the Yukon. His passenger was flying out to see her husband for her birthday, and she’d packed some beer in with the groceries. Troopers showed up with a warrant before the plane ever left the ground. Some of you might be thinking, yikes, is Jouppi another Andrew Carter Thornton II? ‘Cocaine Bear,’ the sequel? Nope. Beaver’s a dry town. Not the weather, the beer. Bringing alcohol into Beaver’s a crime, and he and his passenger were both convicted of a misdemeanor. Three days in jail apiece and a $1,500 fine, as low as the law goes. But then Alaska did something extraordinary: It took Jouppi’s plane.” (11/10/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/6208602-supreme-court-ken-jouppi-plane/
- The Midterms: An Autopsy
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson“In the 126 years since 1900, nearly 90 percent of the midterm elections have led to the party in the Oval Office losing House seats, and two-thirds of those same elections have led to it losing Senate seats. Given this history, midterm losses of some sort in 2026 were almost a sure bet. But what ensued in November went well beyond all normal expectations. When all the votes are tabulated, the current blue wave may match the massive midterm losses that buried Bill Clinton in 1994 and Barack Obama in 2010. First, what does this massive 2026 slapdown now portend? A second-term president in his final two years, facing a euphoric and frenzied opposition Congress, emboldened by a landslide, will have difficulty confirming federal judges or cabinet members. Most presidents in that dire situation try to rush through confirmations in the brief two remaining months of their lame-duck congressional majorities, not an easy task.” (11/10/26)
- The Cyberpunking of America
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“How the tech broligarchs tried to inflict their dystopian dreams on the rest of us.” (11/10/260
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-cyberpunking-of-america-fixed
- The Dangerous Twilight of Social Democracy
Source: Law & Liberty
by Samuel Gregg“The increasingly wild promises of social democracy are what has led to economic stagnation—not the market.” (11/10/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-dangerous-twilight-of-social-democracy/
- US solar learns to live without China
Source: Semafor
by Tim McDonell“US President Donald Trump may not be a big fan of solar, but it’s the country’s fastest-growing source of power generation. Standing up an independent domestic solar supply chain is critical to the country’s energy security and AI ambitions, and to lowering power prices, especially as Beijing moves to restrict the export of some key solar technologies. But, although it may be wise to raise trade barriers that push more China-affiliated solar components out of the US market, China’s role in global solar supply chains is so pervasive that instantly severing all ties could kill many US solar manufacturing efforts in the crib. Future growth for this industry depends on a more nuanced trade policy that gives US companies the space to benefit from China’s world-leading solar expertise while the next phase of home-grown plants gets built.” (11/10/26)
https://www.semafor.com/article/11/10/2026/us-solar-learns-to-live-without-china
- Ten Reasons Chuck Schumer Should Not Be Senate Majority Leader
Source: Common Dreams
by Medea Benjamin“Democrats have just won back control of Congress, delivering a major rebuke to Donald Trump and his policies. But now comes another critical question: Who should lead the new Democratic majority? Let’s look at the Senate. Chuck Schumer has been in Congress for nearly 46 years—18 in the House and almost 28 in the Senate. He has led Senate Democrats since 2017 and is already declaring that he expects to be reelected majority leader. But the public is clamoring for new leadership. A recent NBC News poll found that just 13% of voters view Schumer favorably! While most sitting senators seem reluctant to oppose him, eight newly elected Democratic senators—Abdul El-Sayed, Peggy Flanagan, Troy Jackson, Juliana Stratton, Adam Hamilton, James Talarico, Chris Pappas, and Annie Andrews—have either openly opposed Chuck Schumer or withheld their support. And there is a possibility that Senator Van Hollen will put his hat in the ring.” (11/10/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/should-chuck-schumer-be-senate-majority-leader
- The Fifth Column, episode 583
Source: The Fifth Column
“Socialists Go to Washington, Trump Goes to Hell (w/ Michael Powell).” (11/11/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/socialists-go-to-washington-trump
- Washington Monthly Podcast, 11/11/26
Source: Washington Monthly
“The Hard Road Ahead for the Democratic Majority.” (11/11/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/11/11/the-hard-road-ahead-for-the-democratic-majority/
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 11/11/26
Source: The Dispatch
“The Dispatch Moment | Interview: Steve Hayes.” (11/11/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/the-dispatch-moment-interview-steve-hayes/
- Reasonably Optimistic, 11/11/26
Source: Washington Post
“The immigration deal Trump should make.” (11/11/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/the-immigration-deal-trump-should-make/
- The Chris Hedges Report, 11/10/26
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“We Need to Stop Trump’s Massive Military Spending Bill (w/ Jodie Evans).” (11/10/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/we-need-to-stop-trumps-massive-military
- Half the Answer, episode 114
Source: Liberal Currents
“The Myth of the Reasonable Rogan.” (11/11/26)
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 11/10/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“House Kills Massie Effort To Impeach Hegseth, Zelensky Rejects Ceding Donbas Amid Talks, and More.” (11/10/26)
- Autocracy in America, 11/10/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Can ICE Be Abolished Now?” (11/10/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/11/can-ice-be-abolished-now/689046/
- Politics Politics Politics, 11/10/26
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Jim Jordan WINS Minority House Leader. A Blue Tsunami Midterm Autopsy (with Michael Cohen).” (11/11/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/jim-jordan-wins-minority-house-leader
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 11/10/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me for some post-election analysis and speculation as to what comes next. Will America be going the way of the cybertruck?” (1/10/26)
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 11/10/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Dan McAdams: Democrats Win Big — Is Trump’s Impeachment Next?” (11/10/26)
- Trump Watch, 11/10/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Aftermath of the Political Massacre.” (11/10/26)
- Liberty and Finance, 11/10/26
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“Why Governments Are Preparing For Crisis | Dr. Mark Thornton.” (11/10/26)
- Rising, 11/10/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on former President Joe Biden releasing a memoir, where he goes into detail on his cancer diagnosis and his decision to not run for reelection in 2024.” (11/10/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 11/10/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Hegseth Fires Back At ‘Loser’ Massie.” (11/10/26)
- Capital Record, episode 332
Source: National Review
“What Just Happened with the Election?” (11/10/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/what-just-happened-with-the-election/
- The Marlen-Starr Convo
Source: Bet On It
“If you haven’t heard of data scientist Spencer Marlen-Starr, you should have. He’s a paragon of the intellectual deep dive. Recently, he wrote a diligent dissection of the Caplan-Jones UATX immigration debate, taking the time to speak to both me and Garett. So I decided to do a follow-up conversation with him on immigration, IQ, ancestry, and more.” (11/10/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 11/10/26
Source: The New Republic
“MAGA Fury Erupts as Trump Blurts Out Damning Admission about GOP Loss.” (11/10/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/217799/maga-fury-erupts-trump-blurts-damning-admission-gop-loss
- The Good Fight, 11/10/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Shadi Hamid and Matthew Kaemingk on Whether Democracy Needs Religion.” (11/10/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/shadi-hamid-and-matthew-kaemingk
- Radio Atlantic, 11/09/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Congress vs. Hegseth.” (11/09/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/11/ra-iran-fallout/689349/